Chapter 5: Coffee and Pastries

Chapter 5: Coffee and Pastries

In the morning, golden sunlight gently fell, rousing those who lay asleep on their soft couches.

Tan Xing rubbed his legs tangled in the blankets aimlessly, opening his eyes with little clarity; this was his first night's sleep in this world.

It wasn't as uncomfortable as he had imagined, and he had already adapted well. If he lived in such an environment continuously, his bones might become as soft as tofu.

And that riot seemed to have passed long ago, even his memories of it were blurred. He no longer needed to be on high alert for surprise attacks.

But occasionally, when he recalled the man's cold-heartedness, his heart still stung.

Perhaps he was destined to have shallow familial ties, unable to enjoy the warmth of imperial kinship.

Tan Xing stretched out his hands to rub his face, trying to wake himself up. He got up to smooth out the blankets before stepping into the washroom.

The hotel provided disposable toiletries, Tan Xing looked at the various items, curiously touching them here and there.

The toothbrush here was somewhat similar to what he used in the Qing Kingdom, but the craftsmanship was more exquisite, and the bristles were much softer.

Following common knowledge, he picked up the facial cleanser and tried to squeeze some onto his palm. When it came into contact with water, the foam became abundant and fine.

Rubbing his hands over his face, the faintly fragrant facial cleanser surprised Tan Xing. However, when the foam entered his eyes, it was slightly uncomfortable. Tan Xing quickly turned on the faucet to rinse it off.

There was also a pile of bottles and jars on the shelf next to him. Under Little Eight's instructions, Tan Xing picked one up and opened it, revealing a milky white cream inside.

He scooped some out and applied it to his face. At first, it was a bit sticky, but after rubbing it in, only the fragrance remained. His skin became smooth, akin to the fragrant ointments sold in Qing Kingdom's cosmetic shops.

However, Tan Xing didn't like being covered in perfumed powder. After curiously trying a little, he put down the small jar and left the washroom.

There was quite a lot of luggage he had packed from Lin Yu's house yesterday. Tan Xing roughly sorted it out.

It was basically divided into two parts: clothes and other items. The original owner's clothes were mostly flamboyant and extravagant. Tan Xing only chose a few that caught his eye to bring out.

He also asked Little Eight about the whereabouts of the other original owner. Little Eight only said that he had temporarily left due to something urgent, choosing Tan Xing to continue completing the mission on his behalf.

Tan Xing squatted on the ground, looking at the scattered luggage, remembering what the antagonist father had said about the moving company.

However, he didn't know how to find one. Pulling out the slip of paper Liang Xigui had given him, he picked up his phone to try using its calling function.

"1-8-6-6..."

Tan Xing muttered the string of numbers softly, finally pressing the green button. The phone then emitted the sound of a system-generated female voice indicating the call was dialing.

Holding this small metal block felt somewhat hot in his hand, his heart pounding. Could this thing really connect people across such great distances?

On the other side, Liang Xigui was reviewing summary reports submitted by various departments. Soon, he had an early morning meeting to attend.

"Beeep—Beeep—"

The ringtone of his private mobile phone on the table sounded. Liang Xigui paused, picking it up to look. It was an unfamiliar number.

Sometimes people would somehow get hold of his private number and would call occasionally to harass him.

He didn't pay much attention and hung up the call, continuing with his work.

Tan Xing looked blankly at the disconnected call. He didn't understand how this metallic device worked. Did this mean the connection failed?

Indeed, everything still had to rely on himself. After sorting the luggage, he stuffed it back into the suitcases violently. If only he had a cloth bag, it could help distribute the weight of the luggage on his back.

Tan Xing opened the ride-hailing app he used last night again. So far, this seemed relatively reliable.

Comparing the words on the slip of paper, Tan Xing carefully wrote down the name of the address. In the search results, he selected the same characters as on the slip and successfully hailed a car.

He went downstairs to find the front desk, intending to locate a cart like the one he used yesterday. This way, he could quickly transport the luggage downstairs.

The hotel naturally wouldn't let a distinguished guest do such tasks. The front desk escorted Tan Xing to a waiting area to the side.

They served him a cup of coffee and brought over some pastries, asking him to wait here for a moment.

Tan Xing sat calmly on the sofa, like a child trying to buy things alone for the first time.

Although his expression was blank, his eyes were constantly scanning around. Eventually, his gaze settled on the black liquid and small pastries on the coffee table.

He first picked up a small piece of bread, finding a delicious filling inside when he bit into it. He maintained a steady pace of eating, soon consuming most of the plate of pastries.

Tan Xing licked his lips. Out of politeness, he didn't finish all the pastries. Turning his head, he looked at the cup on the side. The liquid inside smelled rich and fragrant.

He casually picked up the cup, cautiously taking a sip of the liquid inside out of prudence.

"#$%&..."

Tan Xing furrowed his brows, swallowing the bitter concoction in his mouth. Unfortunately, his mastery of the language in this world wasn't proficient enough.

When it came to venting, he felt lost and uncertain.

Didn't the people in this world know how to enjoy themselves? Why would they treat such an unpalatable thing as a daily beverage?

Soon, his luggage was wheeled down, and the taxi he had called was waiting outside the hotel entrance. Tan Xing got up and walked out of the hotel, directing the staff to help him load the luggage.

Without servants or attendants by his side, he had to do everything himself.

Even when he was in the barracks before, Tan Xing didn't have to personally handle these tedious tasks. In this aspect, he was still not very adaptable.

The luggage was safely placed in the trunk. Normally, when the servants did well, he would give them a few strings of coins as a reward. Here, he couldn't lose this fine tradition.

Tan Xing searched through his pockets and only found some loose change. He picked out a few bills with larger denominations and handed them to the staff member. The latter accepted them as usual and thanked him.

Sitting in the back seat of the car, since he had eaten some pastries earlier, he wasn't too hungry now. Not having to worry about lunch, he lowered his head to fiddle with this thing called a phone.

Uncertain if calling Liang Xigui now would work, Tan Xing decided to give it a try. He tapped on the string of numbers again, and the dialing began.

"Drip—Drip—"

Liang Xigui, with his sensitivity to numbers, recognized this sequence as identical to the unknown call he had received earlier.

With some irritation, he tapped to answer, determined to find out who had leaked his number this time.

"Hello, who is this?"

Hearing the voice from the other end, Tan Xing felt a surge of excitement, momentarily forgetting what he intended to say.

No response? Who could be so bored and have such a twisted sense of humor?

Before Liang Xigui could rule out all his mischievous friends, a voice came through.

"Hello, sir, this is Tan Xing."

Liang Xigui recalled, clearing his throat awkwardly, "Ah, hello. I was busy earlier, so I missed your call. Is there something you need?"

"Not anymore, I'm currently in a taxi heading to the address you provided."

Liang Xigui furrowed his brow. If there's no issue, why call me? Oh right, payment for his care.

"Alright, you don't need to cook lunch today; someone will do it. I also have matters to discuss when I return to see you."

Tan Xing nodded, then remembered the other party couldn't see him, "Understood, sir."

Even if Liang Xigui didn't mention it, Tan Xing wouldn't know how to cook anyway. Xie Huaiyi, despite not being overly involved in his life, wouldn't neglect the basic needs of a prince. Tan Xing had always had a small kitchen dedicated to preparing his meals since childhood.

Cooking might just blow up the house, but what could Liang Xigui possibly want from him?

Well, regardless, he was at the other's mercy for now. One must bow when under someone else's roof—a principle he understood well.